Careful The Things You Say; Children Will Listen, Part 2
When my daughter was an infant and toddler, I would often end up driving her around with me on errands, to her daycare, friends’ homes, etc. We lived in Northern Virginia (around Washington, DC), which has horrendous traffic. I often got frustrated when I got stuck in stupid back-ups. I wouldn’t swear but would mutter, “Geez”, “Go!”, or my favorite, “Any particular shade of green you’re waiting for?” when I got behind someone who didn’t respond quickly enough to a green light.
One day, I was behind several cars at a stop sign; the road we were on led onto a busy local highway. It was taking ten to thirty seconds per car to proceed since the highway was busy. I wasn’t particularly frustrated, knowing the situation. After about five stop-and-gos without getting to the stop sign, from the back seat, my daughter gave out a whiny, “Go!” just like I did when I was frustrated with traffic.
From that point on, I made an effort to keep my mutterings to myself.
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